And Sometimes You Close Your Eyes
by xRainDancerx
Summary: The night he'd held his true love as he'd died he'd made a promise to himself, when he was next with Levi he'd keep him safe, they'd see the world together with only each other to care for. 2000 years later he was going to keep his promise. All Eren had to do was find him.
1. Chapter 1

_Un-beta_

…

Time seemed to stop as Eren took in the sight before him, his mind not accepting what he was seeing. He was humanities strongest solider, there was no way he was lying on the ground, gasping for his final breaths. The blood poured from his various injuries, mixing with the wet mud he lay atop of but Eren still refused to believe.

He didn't call for help, he didn't draw focus to himself, he lay perfectly still, staring at the sky as he accepted his fate.

"Levi!" Eren called out, running towards the injured solider.

He dropped harshly down on his knees when he finally reached his side, the sounds of battle rung all around him but his focus was solely on his fallen love.

"You're going to be okay Levi." He whispered, lifting up his face and rubbing the mud off of his cheeks. He knew Levi hated dirt and he was in no position to clean himself.

"Not this time brat." Levi said, wincing slightly at the movement.

"You will. You'll get better in no time I know it. And we're going to defeat all the titans together and then break down the walls that keep us trapped. Then we'll go to the sea and see the world. Always together, just like you promised." Eren rambled frantically, while his hands helplessly applied pressure to his various wounds.

"Some promises are made to be broken kid." He smiled slightly, completely unfitting to the situation.

"Not this one!" Eren cried, his tears dropping onto Levi's face underneath him. "Any but this one."

"Sorry Eren." He sighed, his eyes closing with the effort. "Not in this lifetime."

"We will, don't talk like that!" He begged, Eren couldn't handle his negativity. Levi was always his rock, pushing him forward in the worst of times. He couldn't be giving up.

"Get out of here, get yourself safe." He whispered with the last of his energy.

This was exactly how they'd got into this mess, Eren had been reckless and Levi had tried to save him without thinking himself, resulting in serious injuries and fatal casualties.

"Not without you Levi! I love you." He sobbed, leaning closer to the limp body that lay on the floor.

Eren pressed his lips against Levi's but felt his blood turn cold when there was no response from the other. The lips that usually set his body on fire, that caused his heart to skip, that moaned against his own night after night lay cold and lifeless.

"Levi." He screamed, pulling back to see his chest completely still, no movement with his breath. "Levi no!"

"Eren! We need to get out of here!" Mikasa shouted, dragging her brother into a standing position and pulling him away from the dead corpse on the floor.

As they ran he continued to look back, watching as the body of Levi became smaller and smaller, nobody bothering to help him, nobody bother to pay their respects. All far too concerned in their own safety rather than their fallen comrade.

"Levi! Levi!" Eren shouted repeatedly, as if the sound of his voice could save him, could somehow bring him back from the hell he'd found himself in.

He shouted until he could no longer see the other man, until he was breathless, until his sobs soon took over the words that escaped his mouth.

…

"Levi." Eren gasped, bolting up in his bed, his body sweating from another vivid flashback.

Every night his dreams were haunted by his past life, the person he'd once been, the world that had once been his reality, the man he'd once loved.

Levi.

His eyes always plagued his dreams, his touch and his kiss assaulting his mind every time Eren closed his eyes, his moans and gasps turning him on each night.

_Not in this lifetime._

Levi's voice mocked him from the depths of his mind, a phrase he could never get out of his head. The night he'd held his true love as he'd died he'd made a promise to himself, when he was next with Levi he'd take him to the sea. He'd promised they'd stand in the salty water together, hold hands for once without any worries, only having each other to care about.

2000 years later he was going to keep his promise, he'd find Levi, he'd protect him this time, ensure he was never in any danger in this world. They'd be happy in this lifetime, they wouldn't be torn from each other as they had before, they'd live their lives to the full, together.

All Eren had to do was find him.

With a sigh he lay back down in his bed, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep before he was due to get up for school.

…

"Eren are you even listening to me?" Mikasa asked, taking a sip of her black coffee that managed to get her through the day.

"What?" Eren asked, mouth half full with the cereal he was currently eating.

Truth be told he hadn't been listening at all, he was struggling enough to keep his eyes open and stop his face from plummeting into his breakfast in exhaustion let alone pay attention to whatever his sister was prattling open. After watching Levi's death for what felt like the millionth time he'd had a very hard time getting back to sleep.

"You need to look into getting a job." She groaned, wishing he'd be serious for a moment.

"No I don't, I have to worry about school not a job." He said, dismissing her concerns. "I'm too young to work."

Mikasa rolled her eyes at him, although that line worked on their mother, combined with his wide, innocent eyes, but she was not falling for it.

"You're 18 Eren, you're not a child." She stated, shooting him a look.

"What's the point? I'll be going to university next year." He shrugged, fed up with his whole family nagging him to get a job.

"With what money?" Mikasa scoffed.

"I'll get a loan." Eren rolled his eyes. "Do you really think a year's worth of part time work is really going to cover the cost of university? That shit's expensive."

"Right, you'll have a loan for classes and rent. What about everything else? Bills, food, going out, alcohol!" Mikasa moaned, completely exasperated. She knew that Eren wasn't thinking about the future, far too concerned with living day to day.

"I'll get an overdraft." He shrugged, pushing himself up from the table to drop his now empty bowl in the sink.

"Well it wouldn't kill you to help out around here." Mikasa said, smugly bringing her drink up to her lips knowing she had got him.

Money had been quite tight in their home lately, with his father recently being made redundant and his mum's pay check not being nearly enough to support the family of four. As soon as Mikasa had left school she'd started an apprenticeship and the little money she was making with that she put towards helping her parents out.

Eren felt guilty that he was quickly becoming a burden to his parents in their current financial crises, he guessed earning some extra cash to help pay his own way would be beneficial.

"Alright, I'll have a look into some jobs." He promised, offering her a quick smile.

"I knew you'd see it my way." Mikasa smiled, wrapping her arm around her younger brother.

"Yeah, yeah." Eren rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious, Mum and Dad will appreciate it." She said quietly, pressing a kiss into his shaggy, brown locks.

"I know." He admitted, leaning back into her embrace for a moment before disentangling himself. "Right, I got to go before I'm late again."

"Yeah get out of here." Mikasa laughed, ruffling his hair and giving him a push on his way.

"Catch you later." He shouted, grabbing his bag and walking out the door.

…

Students bustled around Eren on their way to the canteen while he stared intently at the bullet-in board that advertised various jobs looking for part time work. Plenty of companies wanted teen workers, they were cheap, eager and always willing to please. He sighed slightly as he scanned the various jobs, most of them were offering weekend positions when ideally he was looking for after school work.

Weekends where his time to do with it what he pleased, not for working. He focused his weekends on making sense of his dreams, trying to put some chronological order to his previous life, mapping out what life was like inside the walls, scouring any social media website he could find for a Levi Ackerman.

Mikasa always told him it was an unhealthy obsession but he knew when they were reunited and they could keep both their promises it would be worth it.

"This is a sight I'd never thought I'd see." Armin laughed, coming to a standstill next to him. "Eren Jaeger looking for work."

"Shut up." He groaned, nudging his best friend with his shoulders.

"I'm serious, what brought all this one?" He questioned, tilting his head towards his friend.

"Thought it would be nice to have a bit of working experience before uni." He shrugged.

"Really?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Nah, Mikasa thinks it's about time I learnt the value of money."

"Sounds more like it." Armin laughed again. "Pretty decent stuff here."

"Yeah, all weekends though." Eren moaned as the pair scanned the board.

"So? Money's money."

"I like to keep my weekends free." He informed him, getting close to giving up for the day.

"Oh yeah, Levi." Armin said, nodding his head slightly.

Eren tried to ignore the tone his voice held, he knew that Armin, much like Mikasa, thought his obsession with his dreams was unnecessary but just because they didn't remember didn't mean their past didn't exist.

"Right, well I'm hungry." Armin announced, trying to move the conversation forward. "I'm going to head down to the canteen."

"I'll be there in a minute." Eren said, briefly acknowledging that he'd spoken before going back to looking.

"Putting work before food? The word really has gone mad." He muttered, walking away.

Eren rolled his eyes slightly at the comment, doing one last scan before calling it a day.

Suddenly, like a beacon of hope he found the only after school job on the board. Babysitting. He could do that, easily. All he had to was play around with a kid for a few hours then put them to bed and watch TV until the mum came home.

Ripping the flyer off the board he typed the number into his phone as he walked out the school doors, hoping to find a quiet place to make the call outside.

Sitting down on a wall he double checked the number before pressing call.

"Hello?" A woman's voice answered.

"Hi, is this Raquel Bernard?" Eren asked, reading the name off the flyer.

"Yes, can I help you?" She asked, a hint of a smile in her voice. Least it sounded that way to him.

"Yeah, I'm Eren Jaeger and I'm calling about the babysitting position you advertised." He explained, hoping the fact he was a boy wouldn't hold too much prejudice against him.

"Oh right, and do you have an experience with children?"

"Well I was one myself once." He joked, relieved to hear her soft giggle come down the phone. "But, experience, yeah. I have babysat for my neighbours quite often, helped out at the crèche where my mum worked and look after younger family members all the time." He lied, hoping it sounded like a half decent resume.

"Wow, sounds impressive." She complimented. "Would you be able to come over tonight so we can meet face to face and you could also meet my son?"

"Yeah, of course." Eren agreed eagerly, hoping to land himself an easy job. "I can come by after school if that's okay?"

"That's perfect, my address is on the flyer. It's walking distance from the school so hopefully it's not too far from where you live."

"Nope, it's actually a couple of streets down from me." He reassured, another little white lie wouldn't hurt. It wasn't close but it was still walking distance.

"Great, I'll see you later then." She said.

"Yeah you will. Bye." He said, hanging up the phone.

He slipped his phone into his pocket with a smile, she sounded friendly and if he continued to sweet talk her he was definitely a shoo-in for the job. With a spring in his step he walked towards the canteen, joining all his friends for lunch.

…

Eren bounced nervously on the balls of his feet as he rang the bell to Raquel's house, he was definitely better over the phone than he was face to face, but for a some decent cash he'd just have to suck it up and try his best.

"Hi, Eren?" Raquel smiled, opening the door.

"Yeah, hi." He nodded, offering his best confident smile in return.

"Come in, come in." She exclaimed, ushering him inside.

He stepped inside and did a quick scan of the house, expecting a little child to be running around their ankles but there appeared to be none.

"Can I get you a drink?" She asked, heading towards the kitchen.

"Sure, water will be nice." He called after. "Where's the kid?"

"He's upstairs." She laughed from the other room. "I wanted to talk to you alone first."

"Oh sure." He replied, following after her.

"Have a seat." She gestured to the breakfast table, placing a glass of water on the wood.

"Sure." He smiled, taking a gulp of water to calm his nerves. No matter how relaxed the atmosphere was it just hit him that it was his first job interview.

Raquel made herself a cup of tea and Eren took the chance to do a quick once over of her. She had a friendly face and aura surrounding her, but a slight edge that suggested if you got on the wrong side of her she would make your life hell. She was quite a short woman with a very petite frame, but the towering heels by the front door suggested she carried herself confidently with a height boost. She had silky, black hair in a choppy style and wide, dark eyes. He couldn't help but feel the colour of her eyes was familiar to him, the soft grey comforting to him in a way he couldn't explain.

"Right, Eren." Raquel said, sitting down opposite him. "I work evenings, five until ten, so I wouldn't get home until about eleven and I'll need to be gone around four. Is that doable?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I can get here by four no problem." He nodded, walking home at eleven wasn't exactly ideal but he could use some of his money earned to put towards a cheap, second hand car.

"Great, and while you're here you're welcome to use whatever you want. Make yourself completely at home." She smiled warmly at him. "I was thinking £6 an hour, about £42 a day. Is that okay?"

"That's more than okay." He cried out, he'd be making around £200 a week for sitting on his ass all afternoon. He'd be able to afford a car before the end of the month.

"Wonderful. Let me tell you about Levi." Raquel smiled, the proud smile only a mother gets.

But Eren barely had time to register the smile, his blood had turned cold with the mention of that name. There was no way it was the same Levi, it had to be a coincidence. He wasn't about to see a child version of the man he was in love with, the man who had been haunting his dreams, the man who he's spent the better part of five years looking for.

"My prince is 10 years old, he can be a little bossy at times and does like to get his own way but he's an only child with parents who divorced when he was still in nappies so it's to be expected. Least that's what I tell myself." She laughed, completely oblivious to Eren's discomfort. "He does like things to be clean, it's getting worse as he's getting older."

"A little clean freak." Eren joked, his whole mouth turning dry the more she described him.

"Yeah, you could say that." She grinned at his comment. "He's very caring but he likes to keep it hidden, stubborn little bugger, he'll be a little cold at first with you but the longer you're around him the more he'll warm up to you and he'll be the sweetest little boy you've ever met."

Raquel finally stopped talking and noticed the slight hesitance on his face, she bit her lip slightly at his expression, worried she'd scared him off.

"He will love you, I promise." She smiled reassuringly.

"Great, I look forward to meeting him." He said, his eyes wide in shock.

"Shall we go meet the little man now then?" She asked, pushing herself up from the table, disregarding the tea cooling on the table.

"Sure." Eren agreed, standing up on wobbling legs.

"Don't look so nervous, Levi is a tough critique but at the end of the day I do get the final say." She winked, leading him out of the room.

Eren followed after Raquel, shaking, as if he was walking to his life sentence rather than to a child's bedroom.

"Oh, one more thing about Levi." She said, turning towards him at the bottom of the stairs. "He's a little obsessed with a world he's created in his mind, all about three cities and some giants that keep attacking them and eating the people."

Eren swallowed thickly at her statement, was it possible after all his searching he'd accidentally stumbled upon Levi, his Levi. Ten years too early a voice mocked in his mind, in their previous life Levi had been the older one, a swap wasn't what he'd expected.

"I know it's a little bit gory but I think it's just a phase, expressing himself. It's just a game to him and I shouldn't worry too much about it. That, or I've got a future author on my hands." She smiled, heading up the stairs.

Eren broke out into a cold sweat, but he tried to reassure that he was getting ahead of himself. Levi was a very common name, it could be any child up there with a fixation with giants.

He shook his head slightly as he drew closer to the room, he knew that there were too many similarities to all be a coincidence.

"Levi?" Raquel called out, walking over to her son and kneeling beside him. "Say hello to Eren."

"Hello Eren." He said completely uninterested in the other person in his room, never even glancing towards the door.

"Don't be so rude." She lightly scolded, ruffling the boy's black hair.

Eren found himself utterly speechless, without even seeing his face he could tell straight away that was his Levi. The same soft hair that he'd run his fingers through many nights, the same deadpan voice, granted it was higher but it still possessed his same tone, and the proud way he held himself despite being a small child. It all screamed his Levi.

If that wasn't a big enough clue the little world in front of him was a giveaway. He had built three walls out of Lego, smallest in the middle and slowly getting larger all protecting a kingdom in the middle. The walls weren't perfect circles but they were as close as he expected a child to get using square blocks. He had small action figures with strings wrapped around them as a crude attempt at 3-D maneuver gear and big action figures lying on the ground around his walls where the titans had clearly been defeated.

As if moving on their own accord Eren's feet carried him across the room, as if there was an unknown pull towards this boy that he couldn't fight. Mirroring Raquel he knelt down on the ground next to the walls, finally seeing the face he'd been denied for so long. At his approach Levi did look up, meeting the eye of the older boy for the first time.

Eren felt himself gasp as he looked into the small boys eyes, they were his Levi's eyes. The same steel eyes staring back at him that he'd seen so much in his dreams, but they seemed wider, more innocent than what he was used to. His whole face was softer in fact, the scowl he'd perfected was long gone, the weight of everything no longer wresting on his shoulders. There even appeared to be a hint of a smile on his face that was always a rarity with Levi unless there was crude humour involved.

There were changes to him but Eren could tell it was his Levi, it was definitely his Levi.

He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to laugh, he wanted to hold him close but he knew he couldn't, he knew he had to regain his composure.

"Hi Levi." He whispered, not realising how close to tears he was until he spoke.

"Hello." Levi replied, eyes never leaving his face.

Eren waited for a look of recognition, some sort of memory, a flicker that Levi understood how important they were to each other but there was nothing. Instead Levi's eyes flicked between the face of his mother and the stranger before glancing back to his toys, picking up his game as if the whole exchange had never happened.

Eren felt his heart sink rapidly at the dismissal, after all these years of waiting, planning for their grand reunion, thinking of how perfect everything would be when they were back in each other's arms he had never considered this possibility. Levi had no idea who he was.

…

_Not sure how I feel about this one :/ any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Un-beta_

...

Eren watched helplessly as Levi continued his game, softly whispering to himself as his various characters interacted. Eren had known Levi for as long as he could remember, before he even knew what love was he'd felt it. But it seemed it wasn't the same for Levi, although he knew about their old lives and the titans, the more personal details seemed to escape him.

"Oh shoot!" Raquel called out, drawing Eren's attention to her once again. "I left my tea downstairs."

"Psho." Levi mumbled, mimicking the 3D maneuver gear, completely ignoring his mother's comment.

"I'm going to go grab it, why don't you stay here and get to know Levi." She smirked, lifting up tall and leaving the room.

Eren looked on as Levi played, he was once again with the love of his life but could not act on his feelings. At first, all that bothered him had been the age gap but he had known he could wait, he'd always wait. However, if Levi didn't know him who was to say he'd ever return his feelings, had he made an unconscious decision to forget about him, to dedicate this life to starting again? A fresh life.

"Can I play?" Eren asked, his voice cracking under all the emotions running through his veins.

Happiness, relief, fear, dread, excitement, love. They all fought for dominance inside his mind.

Levi looked up at him with confused eyes, trailing over his face and assessing him, an act he hadn't really bothered to do earlier when his mum had been in the room. Eren felt his breath catch in his throat, under Levi's intense gaze his body began to heat up, flashbacks to steel eyes trailing his body in lust during late nights.

"Okay." Levi said in a quiet voice, finishing his assessment and deeming him acceptable. "You can be him."

Levi reached over to a discarded Spiderman figure with string around his middle before handing him to Eren.

"Thanks." He laughed slightly at the toy, knowing the hero didn't really fit in with the titans.

"But you have to listen to what I say because I'm in charge." He explained, frowning slightly.

"Really?" He asked with a smile.

"Yes, I'm the Corporal." He told him, pride filling his voice.

"Of course." Eren said with a smile.

So typical of Levi to take control even at such a young age, directing and instructing everyone around him. Even if currently, it was only Eren.

He watched with a grin as Levi played, the happiness within him that only comes from the innocence of childhood. Despite the gore he was acting out, the death of both the titans and his squad the smile was ever present on Levi's face.

Eren only wished he could have seen it more in their past, wished they had met in better circumstances, wished fate didn't love to play cruel tricks on them by taking Levi away too early or depriving Levi of the memories of their love.

"Eren!" Levi shouted, the older boy jumping slightly at the authoritative tone, a tone he'd heard often in the midst of a battle.

"Yes, Corporal." He replied, realising for most of the game he'd been far too absorbed in Levi's facial expressions, Spiderman hanging uselessly off his fingers via string.

"60m class!" He cried, grabbing a large, well-loved rabbit plush off his bed.

Levi made the bunny titan walk across his bedroom floor, coming to a stop next to the Lego wall and placing his paws on the bricks.

Eren swung his own character through the air to land on top of the wall, looking into the eyes of the titan.

"Colossal titan. Haven't seen you in a while." He said.

For a moment Levi froze, looking towards Eren in shock at his knowledge. Eren worried slightly he'd ruined everything, that Levi would be far too scared to be around the man who, as far as he was concerned, had read his mind. But as soon as the surprise had come it left again, Levi continuing his game as if nothing had happened.

"Eren?" Raquel said softly, announcing her return.

He looked up at the women who was watching the pair with a found smile, Levi ignored his mum completely and instead pulled the titan's leg back and kicked the wall.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" She asked, gesturing Eren out the room with a curl of her finger.

"Later mummy! Eren's playing with me." Levi answered for him, looking up at her with a cross scowl.

"Levi, he can play giants with you later." She laughed, completely unfazed by a look that had once had Eren quacking in his boots.

"They're not giants, they're titans." He pouted as Eren placed the figure back on the floor and pushed himself onto his feet.

Reluctantly Eren followed Raquel out of the room, glancing back to Levi as he went, but the look was never fully returned. Stubbornly Levi looked up at him through his eyelashes before picking up the character he'd dropped and continuing his game.

"The walls have been breached." Levi called as Raquel shut the door behind them.

With a quick nod towards the stairs she lead them downstairs, the sounds of Levi's fun growing fainter and fainter, Eren yearning to run back into the room and bask in his once grumpy love's joy.

…

"How would you feel about a test run tonight?" Raquel asked, placing a tea and biscuits in front of Eren on the table.

"Tonight?" He echoed in shock.

Granted, there was nothing he wanted more than to spend all the time possible with Levi he just hadn't expected to be given responsibility for someone else so soon.

"I know it's quick. Originally I'd hoped that I could stay with you today and see how you and Levi are together but I got a call from work and they need me." She explained.

"Right." Eren nodded, reaching out for a biscuit.

"I'll be right at the end of a phone if you need me and Levi is quite an independent child so he won't be much work." She smiled. "I'm really hoping you'll say yes so Levi doesn't have to sleep in my office again."

Raquel smiled hopefully up at him, eyes pleading with him to agree. It turned out that this look was one she shared with her son and Eren had no control over his words when he opened his mouth.

"Sure, I'll do the trail." He agreed.

"You will? Thanks so much." She gushed, a smile spreading across her face.

"Don't worry about it." He smiled back.

How hard could it be? Eren added silently as Raquel made a grab for her keys and handbag.

"Feed him with anything you can find in the fridge or the freezer." She told him pointing around the kitchen. "And obviously feed yourself. About eight send him off for a shower then to bed for him to tell you a bed time story."

"He'll tell me a story?" He asked, wondering if he'd misheard her.

"Yeah, he loves telling people about the giants."

"Titans." Eren corrected automatically.

"Titans." She said with a dismissive wave. "You're new so there's a lot to catch up on."

"I look forward to it." He bluffed, hoping he could help Levi fill in his blanks, remind him of the past they once shared. He'd obviously spare all the intimate details but to know they were close was important.

"He'll fall asleep around 9, so if he's still talking just tell him he'll have to save the rest for another day." She told him, with a smile.

Deciding that was enough information to take care of the small boy, Raquel walked into the hallway and shouted up the stairs for Levi.

"My phone will be on my desk the whole time so if you're confused about anything, even the slightest thing, just give me a call." She told him.

"Yes?" Levi asked, crossing his arms slightly when he arrived at the bottoms of the stairs.

"Listen sweetie, mummy has got to go to work." Raquel explained, bending down to reach his eye line.

"Do I have to come too?" He sighed, Eren smiling at his eerily similar attitude to the old Levi.

"No, Eren's going to stay here and play with you." She smiled.

"Okay." Levi said slowly, eyeing up the older boy. Although he'd been willing to play with him it was clear to see he was quite wary of being left alone with him.

"You'll have lots of fun together." She reassured, pulling him into a hug. "You going to be on your best behaviour for Eren?"

"Yes mummy." He nodded against her neck.

"Good boy." Raquel gave Levi a quick kiss before standing tall again.

Eren smiled at the exchange, Levi finally having the family love he'd always deserved, that he'd once admitted to him late night in bed that he yearned for.

"Honestly Eren he'll be no trouble. He'll probably just be playing upstairs." She reassured.

For the first time since Eren had arrived Levi appeared shy, standing behind Raquel as she checked the contents of her bag. The idea of his mum leaving him with this stranger causing him slight nerves.

Apprehensively he stepped towards Eren, lightly slipping the Spiderman toy into his hand in what he assumed was a silent invitation to continue their game.

"Oh Eren!" Raquel cried out, lifting her head from her bag. "I'll show you how to work the TV before I disappear. Levi, darling, you can go back and play."

She took hold of Eren's wrist and led him into the living room, clearly having missed the whole exchange between her son and the older boy.

"Tch." Levi muttered.

Eren snapped his head around so quickly he felt a slight twinge in his neck, the simple phrase throwing him back to nights in the castle. Levi watching, and judging, his every move.

Levi quickly shot Eren a look, obviously deeply offended that he'd chosen to listen to his mother over him, before stomping back up the stairs.

Raquel frowned slightly as she heard him go but then quickly shrugged.

"It will pass." She reassured before showing him the basics of the TV.

...

True to Raquel's word Levi still hadn't left his bedroom, Eren having sat and watched TV for almost an hour now. He was tempted to go check on him but the glare he'd received before Levi left told him to leave him alone. Even after all these years he still knew how read him.

Feeling eyes on him Eren glanced towards the door to see Levi stood there, hugging the once colossal titan bunny to his chest. Looking at him now Eren realised that the Levi he knew was gone and in his place was a young, innocent child.

Gone was the confident, if somewhat cocky, corporal who carried himself with an aura of superiority. All that remained was a little boy who was left alone with a strange man, a little boy who wanted to appear strong but underneath it all he still needed comfort and reassurance.

Eren knew he had to start again with this Levi, he wasn't his Levi anymore and holding onto that would make things worse. Levi was unsure, just like in the past he was a loner, never letting anyone get close, he knew if he came on too strong he'd scare him away. But Eren had won Levi over once he could do it again. Granted their relationship would have to be different this time but he didn't mind, as long as he could be with Levi once again he would be happy.

"Hi." Eren said quietly as Levi slowly walked into the room.

"Are you one of mummy's friends?" He asked, tightening his arms around the rabbit.

Eren debated his answer, unsure of what Levi wanted to hear, what would make the small boy trust him.

"Mummy's friends come over sometimes for sleepovers but then they don't stay very long." He explained.

"I'm not one of Mummy's friends." Eren shook his head, he was definitely not one of those friends.

"Then why are you here?" He questioned, frowning slightly, Eren having to suppress a grin at the look, the same look he'd use to intimidate young trainees.

"I want to be your friend." He smiled, wanting to reach his hand out to him but forced it down. "Would that be okay?"

"I guess so." He said, hesitantly walking over to the sofa and sitting with him.

He was sat at the other end, as far away as he possibly could get, but at this stage it was good. Small steps and he knew they would get there.

…

Eren washed up the plates that they had eaten dinner off, relieved to see that Levi no longer carried the bunny around for protection, that he was happily talking to him and that he'd eaten all of his dinner despite the slightly burnt pizza base.

"Eren?" Levi asked, pulling himself up with a slight struggle onto the table.

"Yes?" He replied, glancing over his shoulder at him.

"Can I have some ice cream?" He questioned, smiling up at Eren innocently.

Earlier he and Levi had searched together for something to eat in the freezer and of course Levi's eyes had zoned in on the tub of vanilla at the back. Looking at his happy face Eren found himself unable to say no, he'd never been able to deny Levi.

"Alright, since you've been such a good boy." He smiled, getting the treat out of the freezer.

"Thank you Eren!" Levi exclaimed, eagerly taking the ice cream and spoon offered to him.

Once he'd cleaned the kitchen he turned to Levi, happily eating his ice cream while his legs swung back and forth. How simple his joy could be in this world, all the troubles of the past were long gone and Eren couldn't be more thankful.

"Do you want some?" He asked, holding out the spoon for Eren.

"Sure." He agreed, walking over towards the other boy.

He leant down, ready for the treat, only to have the frozen, sticky ice cream smeared across his nose where Levi had also been lifting his arm to his mouth. The small boy watched with wide eyes as it dripped off his nose and landed with a plop on the floor.

Suddenly, Levi's grin grew twice as big before he broke into fits of giggles, the loud, lyrical noise filling the room. Eren felt his throat turn dry at the sound, he'd only heard a hollow chuckle coming from Levi before never such a pure laugh.

Eren's heart beat in double time, he wanted to reach out and pull Levi into his arms, hold him tight and never let go. His perfect, precious Levi was finally back in his life and he found himself still unconditionally, irreversibly in love with every little part of him.

"You're so silly Eren!" Levi tried to say between breaths, his whole body shaking with laughter.

"I think this was actually your fault." Eren said with a fond smile.

"Nu-uh! You're the one who nose-dived into the spoon." He said adamantly.

"And I didn't even get any ice cream." He pouted falsely for Levi's benefit.

"Here you go." He smiled, holding out the now empty spoon.

"Thanks."

He sunk the spoon into the ice cream and dug down deep but instead of bringing it to his mouth he pressed it against Levi's cheek, giving the boy a matching smear.

"Eren!" He cried out, giggling once again, Eren completely addicted to the sound.

"Sorry." He apologised, wiping some cream on his other cheek.

"You're getting me all sticky." He complained, going against the smile spreading across his face.

"So I am, I'm not very good at this." He sighed dramatically, finally moving the spoon away from Levi's face.

"I'll help you!" Levi shouted, grabbing onto Eren's hand and pushing the spoon into his chin.

"I'll get you for that." Eren warning swiftly grabbing the ice cream out his lap.

"No!" He screamed in excitement, jumping off the table ready to run.

Before he had a chance to escape Eren grabbed him around the waist and pulled his back against his stomach. He leant down to cover the boy in ice cream when his nose was filled with Levi's scent, the familiar smell transporting him back.

He was in the castle, holding Levi close as he deeply inhaled the scent that drove him wild but made him feel safe all at the same time. He pressed open mouthed kisses to his neck as the man in his arms gently ground against his crotch, slowly arousing him and filling him with lust.

With a gasp Eren quickly released the squirming child in his arms, his whole body turning cold at the disgusting thought he'd had around the boy. Levi looked up in confusion that their game had ended to abruptly.

"Your mummy won't be happy when she finds out I let you have ice cream and wiped it all over your face." He burst out in panic as he noticed the beginnings of a pout forming on Levi's lips.

"I won't tell her." He promised.

"You go have a shower and I'll clean up this mess so she won't know." Eren winked.

"Okay, I'll call you when I'm finished." Levi said, attempting to wink back but just blinked at him.

Eren took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair once he was alone, he couldn't let himself have thoughts like that anymore, not now Levi was a child. It was wrong, it was sick. He may have loved a man but that certainly wasn't what he had now.

…

"Eren! I'm ready!" A now clean Levi called down the stairs.

"Coming!" He shouted back, turning off the TV and heading up to the boy's room.

He walked inside to see Levi already settled in his bed, eyes drooping as he struggled to stay awake, his small mouth opening wide in a yawn.

"Ready for bed?" Eren asked, leaning against the door.

"Not yet." He shook his head, rubbing at his watery, sleepy eyes. "We have to have a story."

"Okay." He nodded, chest tightening at the word story.

It was one thing to hear Raquel call the Titans a story but with Levi doing it too it was clear to him that he didn't believe them either. To him it was just a game, not a world that had once been, everything that happened back then was just a dream.

He sat down on the chair at Levi's desk and looked at him expectantly only to have Levi shake his head at him.

"No, you have to get into my bed just like Mummy does." He explained, shuffling over and pulling the corner of his duvet back in invitation.

"I think I'll stay over here Levi." He said, swallowing thickly.

After what had happened in the kitchen Eren felt it best if he kept a safe distance between them, keeping their physical contact to a minimum for a while.

"Please Eren." He whined, the sad voice squeezing at Eren's heart.

"Alright, just this once." He relented, glancing at the clock, it would only be for ten minutes and then he'd go. It would be fine.

Once under the covers Levi snuggled into Eren's chest, wrapping his arms and legs around his body like ivy. A tired Levi always was a more affectionate Levi.

"So, you going to tell me about the titans?" Eren asked awkwardly, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around the boy but knew he had to resist.

"There are four different class of titan. 5m, 7m, 15m and 60m." He said, almost losing the end of his sentence to a yawn.

"And where do they come from?" He asked.

"Nobody knows, where they come from or how they're born." He explained, nuzzling his face into Eren.

"Maybe people can change into titans?" He pressed.

"No. People fight titans why would they want to be them?" He questioned.

Eren's pulse quickened at his response, Levi's mind hadn't reached the titan shifters yet, he hadn't even reached the point where he and Eren met. There was hope, he'd remember who they were one day, he'd remember their relationship, he'd remember everything they meant to each other.

"Is there anyone else with you?" He continued his questioning, despite the slur to Levi's voice as he spoke.

"My friends." He yawned, his breathing slowing as sleep began to take over.

"Who?" He asked but never got a response as Levi was gone.

He looked down at the mess of limbs wrapped around him, holding him tightly even in sleep. He knew he should leave but instead he basked in the familiar warmth and comfort that he always got from Levi's embrace.

Subconsciously, his arms wrapped around the boy, pulling him flush against him, their heart's beating together once again.

"I'm so glad I found you." Eren whispered, pressing a chaste kiss into Levi's soft hair.

…


	3. Chapter 3

…

"I should probably leave." Eren whispered into the dark, shivering slightly at the idea of returning to his cold dungeon.

"You do this every night, brat." Levi moaned, sleepy eyes opening to send a steely glare at the boy in his bed.

"Well I don't want to overstay my welcome." He mumbled, loosening the hold he had around the older man's chest.

Awkwardly, Eren tried to move back but was soon held in place by a strong grip around his waist.

"How long until you're going to stop this shit?" Levi asked, pulling Eren back so their naked bodies once again laid flush against each other.

"Until I'm sure of how you feel about me." He ventured, knowing it was a topic that Levi never wanted to discuss, instead he'd just brush it off, pretend he didn't hear Eren's love confessions when he was completely lost to the pleasure.

"Actions speak louder than words." Levi said shortly, hoping his firm tone would put an end to this conversation but he should have known better.

"That's not enough." He whined, nuzzling his face into Levi's neck, breathing in the familiar scent of sex, sweat and the underlying soap that he smothered himself in each morning.

"I'm tired, go to sleep." He told him, turning away from Eren and breaking the last of their contact.

Eren lay in the bed, eyes wide open as he watched Levi, purposely regulating his breathing to trick him into thinking he'd already fallen asleep. But what Levi didn't realise was when he actually was asleep his breathing became quite irregular, so much so that Eren had often woken up in the fear he was crying.

"In times like these people use relationships as a reassurance rather than for emotions." He spoke, knowing Levi would listen. "That making fake plans for the future stops you from realising that your moments from death. During the times when you can lose yourself you can imagine just for a moment you're normal but you don't ever actually invest in the relationship, it's just a way to appear normal."

"You've been speaking to Hanji again haven't you?" Levi groaned, not even bothering to continue with his charade.

"Is it true?" He asked.

"No it's not fucking true!" He growled into the darkness. "You think if I was just looking for a moment of release I'd let you stay the night? That I'd let you see me at my most vulnerable and tell you things that I've never told anyone else before? That I'd hold you night after night when you cry from your dreams?"

Tears pricked the backs of Eren's eyes as her threw himself at Levi, arms clutching tightly around him, head resting between slightly damp shoulder blades.

"Then say the words." He whispered into the skin.

"Eren, I…" He sighed. "I care about you a lot, you know I do. I can't say that, I know it's easy for you to say it to me but it's not for me. But that doesn't mean I don't feel it."

Eren smiled and pressed feather light kisses into his back, he knew it was the closest he was going to get to a confession from Levi.

"I've never said it before." Levi continued. "But when I do you will be the first person I say it to."

"I love you." Eren said, letting his eyes flicker shut, ready for sleep to take over him.

"Me too brat." He mumbled, just quiet enough for Eren to hear before he fell into a slumber.

…

Eren woke up with a smile plastered to his face, the familiar comfort of Levi's embrace filling him, it always lingered after he had a dream like that but it would soon fade within a few minutes.

But as he lay still with his eyes closed, basking in the last remains of these feelings he found it wasn't fading. If anything it was getting stronger, as if he were back in the castle with Levi, holding him close as if he never wanted to let him go.

Slowly and confused his eyes open, met with raven hair that his nose was buried deep inside the locks, arms wrapped around a small frame, soft spluttering breath against his neck.

With a contented sigh he pulled the warm body closer to him, writing the whole thing off as an extremely vivid dream until he noticed the presence of a large, stuffed rabbit in bed with them.

Eren shot up in the bed in shock, realising he was not in Levi's chambers but instead a child's bedroom, in a bed with bright blue covers with some unknown cartoon characters rather than the scratchy sheets from his memories.

"What's going on?" Levi yawned, looking around his room in confusion.

Eren found himself completely speechless as he looked down at the young boy turn to look at the other person in his bed, sporting the same bedhead he's seen many times in his dreams.

"Eren? Why are you in my bed?" He mumbled, slightly incoherently.

"We were talking about the titans and you fell asleep." He fake smiled down at the boy. "I was trying to leave without waking you."

"You should be quieter next." He scolded, snuggling down further into his bed.

"Sorry." Eren apologised in a rush, clambering from the bed as quick as he could.

There was no movement from the bed Eren assumed that the brief disturbance hadn't fully woken Levi and he was asleep again.

Once outside his room Eren took a deep breath and leant against the door, he glanced at the clock and noticed it was 11 o'clock, two hours he'd been lying in that bed and he hadn't even noticed falling asleep. He'd only wanted to stay for a few minutes, not to sleep, limbs tangled together as their breathing had become one.

They'd often lay like that together in the past, refusing to get out of bed as they listened to signs of life running around the castle. But it had been acceptable then, Levi hadn't been ten years old, too young to even understand the romantic desires of an adult.

"Eren?" A voice called, making him jump where he stood.

Raquel was back, moments ago he'd been holding her son in an embrace, how would she feel if she'd have seen that? If she'd have known that after less than a day they were that comfortable, that familiar with each other?

Silently he descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen where she was currently searching for him.

"Oh there you are!" She smiled.

"Hey, I was just checking on Levi." He lied, gesturing upstairs.

"How is he?" She asked, tilting her head to one side in confusion.

"Fine, woke up a little when I went in but I'm pretty sure it was only for a moment." He reassured him.

"Right, can I get you a drink?" She asked, gesturing around as she took a large gulp from her wine glass.

"No, I'm fine thanks." He declined, he was sure getting drunk with your potential future employers wasn't a great idea.

"How was tonight?" She questioned, pulling up a chair, Eren mirroring her action.

"Fine. Little strained at first but he warmed up to me pretty quick." He smiled.

"Really? Well that is unlike Levi, usually takes a few days." She explained, Eren's heart doubling at the though.

"Obviously just a good judge of character." Eren joked, earning a laugh from Raquel.

"So, and please don't let the fact that I'm getting desperate affect your decision in the slightest, will you take the job?" She asked.

"Yeah I will do." He smiled, her desperation holding no value in his choice, it was all based around his own desperation to never lose Levi again.

…

Eren's fingers shook as he walked home, excitement coursing through his entire being, amazed that one simple day could change his whole life, that he'd finally find what he'd been searching for.

With great effort he landed on Armin's name in his phone contact list, far too buzzed to text he pressed call and brought the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?" Armin yawned, answering the call.

"Hey, did I wake you?" Eren asked.

"Nope but this English homework is doing a good job sending me to sleep." He moaned.

"Shit, I haven't even looked at mine yet." He mumbled, biting his lip. He'd planned to work once Levi had fallen asleep but had got far too distracted.

"Oh yeah, you had that job interview today. I take it went well?" Armin questioned.

"Yep, got the job." He smiled.

"Congrats."

"Thanks. Listen, you busy?" Eren asked.

"No overly." He admitted, glancing over at his English homework in disinterest.

"Think you could come to mine? Need to talk to you and Mikasa about something." He told him.

"Sure, you alright?" Armin asked, clearly concerned.

"Yeah, I'll explain everything later." He said, quickly hanging up the phone to avoid any further questioning from his friend.

…

As he rounded the corner to his house he saw the familiar mop of blonde hair walking from the other end of the street.

"Can you please just tell me what's going on?" Armin asked as the pair drew closer.

"No without Mikasa." He shook his head, quietly unlocking his door.

"Come on." He whined. "The suspense is killing me."

"Soon." He told him, pressing his fingers to his lips to quieten the excitable boy, gesturing with his head to his dad asleep on the sofa.

Ever since he'd lost his job Grisha had taken to watching crime show re-runs late into the night, falling asleep long before he could see the end and find out who'd done it.

Slowly, the boys made their way up the stairs, freezing when an almighty creak echoed through the house on the fourth step. But beyond a slight snuffle Grisha didn't wake up.

"Mikasa?" Eren whispered, lightly tapping on her door.

When they received no response they quietly walked inside, only to see the girl spread eagled, face down on her bed, still dressed in the clothes she'd left the house in this morning.

"Hey, wake up." Eren said, shaking her slightly.

"What?" She groaned, tiredly trying to push him away.

"We need to talk." He sighed, forcing her to turn over, her eyes adjusting sleepily to see the two boy in her room.

"This better be important." She pouted, crossing her arms over chest as she tried to suppress a yawn.

"It is." He confirmed, eagerly nodding as he thought back to his beautiful little Levi, finally back in his life.

"Where have you two been all evening anyway?" She asked, glancing between the best friends. She was used to them loudly messing around in Eren's room when she came home from work but today it had been surprisingly quiet.

"He's got himself a job." Armin told her, smiling proudly at him.

"Really?" She asked, head flicking towards her brother. "Doing what?"

"Babysitting." He shrugged, not really wanting to discuss this when there were more important things going on.

"Decent money?"

"Yes Mikasa." Eren sighed. "I got £42 for the evening."

"Not bad." She said with an approving nod.

"More than I make in a week." Armin complained.

"Look, the money is not important." He growled, trying to reign the conversation back in.

"Alright, what is so important that I had to come over here and almost midnight?" Armin asked, looking towards Eren.

"I found him." He grinned, bouncing excitedly on the soles of his feet. "At work I found him."

"You found who?" Mikasa asked.

"Levi! I finally found him." He practically squealed, no longer trying to hide his lovesickness.

"Oh." Armin and Mikasa said, Eren's mood dropping quickly when he realised they didn't share even an ounce of his joy.

"Come on, at least be slightly happy for me." He pouted.

"Well, truth be told Eren, we never thought he was real." Mikasa admitted, nervously biting his lip.

"What?" He cried, glancing to Armin to see if he agreed with his sister.

"She's right." He nodded.

"But even after I told you everything you thought he was fake?" He questioned.

"We just thought it was simple recurring dreams, not a reincarnation." Mikasa explained.

"Well it's not just dreams and I've found him again." He stubbornly told them.

"Are you sure Eren?" She asked. "I mean you see a man who looks slightly like this dream guy and you're just jumping to conclusions."

"I'm not jumping to conclusions." He defended, he knew for a fact he had found his Levi again.

"At least consider this poor man's feelings." Mikasa continued to rant. "He's married, has a child, he does not need some teenage boy coming into his home and projecting his fantasies onto him."

"He's not the dad." Eren mumbled.

"He's not the dad?" Armin echoed. "I thought you said you met him at work."

"I did, but I never said he was the dad."

"If he's not the dad then who is… Oh god Eren he's not!" Mikasa exclaimed, giving him a look.

"He's not what?" Armin asked, completely missing the point.

"He's the kid isn't he? You think the man you've been dreaming about for years is the kid you're now babysitting." She said.

"I don't think, I know." He defended.

"Jesus Eren!" Mikasa cried. "So what are you telling us here? That you're in love with a six year old child?"

"He's ten…"

"Oh that's fine then." Mikasa cut him off in disgust.

"It's not like that Mikasa. He's still a child, I'm not so stupid that I can't see that but at this point I literally don't care. All that matters to me is that he's alive and well again, age ten or age eighty I'm just glad I've found him." Eren shouted, very aware of how loud their voices were raising.

His dreams were not something he'd ever approached with his parents, they'd worry about him far too much but if they continued this argument he didn't doubt they'd find out soon.

"Eren… I just…" She trailed off with a huff.

Armin and Mikasa shared a look, a silent conversation being held just by their eyes, Eren watching helplessly as they no doubt discussed him and his current mental health.

"Just say it, I know it's about me." He growled.

With a deep sigh Armin decided he would do the talking, he was always the more level-headed and diplomatic of the two.

"We just feel that maybe it would be best if you forgot all about this little dream world of yours. I mean, you're almost an adult and that means growing out of childish games."

"It's not a game, it's all real. I know it is and Levi does too." He reassured.

"Levi's a child, he would claim to remember the First World War if you pushed hard enough." Mikasa scoffed, earning an eye roll from Eren.

"I didn't even bring it up with him if you must know, he told me all about it himself." He said, slight smug smile on his lips. "Now try and tell me it's all made up."

"But there are no records of these so called Titans, no evidence that they ever existed." Armin said with a sigh.

"I don't care what the history books say I know it happened." Eren crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'll admit this thing with Levi is a strange coincidence." Armin offered with a smile. "But that's all it is. You can't just make something out of nothing."

"I'm not, I know what happened. Levi and I fought titans together, side by side and in this lifetime we will be side by side again." He recited, it was a line he'd told them over and over as he looked endlessly to find Levi once again.

"We're just worried about you." Armin said.

"You don't need to be, I'm not some reckless idiot. I know there are limitations to our relationship this time around, I'm not going to act on it. He's too young, I understand that, but I'm just content to be with him in any way possible." Eren defended.

"Eren, you can't compare a sexual relationship you thought you had with an adult with looking after a ten year old boy." Mikasa scolded.

"I'm not comparing, I'm just… Ugh!" He groaned, realising this conversation was just going around in circles. "Neither of you can possibly understand what I feel, what I'm going through. You've never been in love, you've never had to watch that person you love die night after night knowing you can do absolutely nothing to stop it." He cried, the beginnings of tears forming at his eyes. "You don't have to believe me but I know in my heart that Levi is the one I've been waiting for, my reason for coming back."

"Eren…" Armin tentatively said, reaching a hand out for his best friend.

"Forget it." He muttered, pressing the heels of his hands up to his eyes. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed."

Without waiting for a response Eren strode from the room, his hands shaking slightly from his emotional outburst. Once safely inside his own room he flopped down onto his bed, hugging his pillow tight and imagining it was his precious Levi, not just a lifeless pile of feathers.

He tried to ignore the muffled conversation coming through the walls, quite clearly talking about him, judging him but he stood by what he said they just couldn't understand what he was currently feeling.

They would never understand the joy of finally finding that one person again who made your life make sense, to know that he would finally fulfil the promises he made on the awful day as he'd watched the life drain from Levi, he finally felt content now that his true love was back.

The more he thought about Levi the less he cared about what Armin and Mikasa thought, Levi was back, he was a part of his life once again, and that was all he really needed.

…


	4. Chapter 4

…

Eren restlessly bounced his leg up and down as he watched the clock in his final lesson of the day, the second hand moving far too slowly for his liking. He only had to stick it out for another fifteen minutes and he'd be a free man.

It had only been a day but he was already addicted to having Levi back in his life, being surrounded by his familiar aura, his safe smell. Eren felt like he was finally whole again.

For as long as he could remember he'd felt like he was empty, missing a vital part of his soul that he'd once had but it was harshly taken from him. When he lost Levi on the battle field he'd lost his heart, ripped from his chest and left on the cold, hard ground.

Now, like a shining light, Levi was back, his heart finally back in place yet still fully owned by the other man. Only now he was just a boy, younger than Eren had even been when he'd first heard of Levi.

He'd been thirteen when he'd heard of Levi, humanity's most powerful, the weapon that was going to help to defeat the titans. Eren had admired him long before he'd even known who he was, he was everything he wished to be, he was absolutely perfect.

He'd been fourteen when he'd finally seen Levi in the flesh, riding his horse through the streets and he found himself completely awestruck by what he saw. For someone so powerful he expected a large man with brute force but Levi was delicate, he was graceful. Levi had scanned the crowd to see many admiring fans and his eyes had met Eren's, making the young boy blush, and to this day he still swears there was a connection, almost as if they knew they were destined for each other.

He'd been fifteen when he developed his crush on Levi, at first he was sure it was hero worship, he'd saved his life and his friends. Eren remembered thinking he looked majestic staring down at him, coat billowing in the wind as the sun set behind him. The perfect hero. But as he spent time under Levi's care, blindly following the older man around, he realised his feelings ran deeper, stronger than anything he'd ever felt before.

He'd been sixteen when he realised he was completely and utterly in love with Levi. He'd berated himself mercilessly for the feelings, someone like Levi would never look twice at a stupid boy like Eren, he was beneath him, he was a filthy brat and nothing more.

He'd been seventeen when he got found out, Levi casually announcing to him over some paper work that he'd noticed the other boy's feelings. Eren had expected to be shot down, to be laughed out, to be teased. He had never expected for soft lips to meet his, for hands to wrap tenderly around his waist, for the man of his dreams to love him back.

He'd been eighteen when it became public, living in such close quarters to his entire squad there was only so long anything remained a secret, for them to keep it private this long had been impressive. There had been mixed feelings about their relationship among the soldiers, a few were shocked, a few were sceptical, a few were angry, one or two were excited but neither man cared. They were happy and that was all that was important to them.

He'd been nineteen when he'd held Levi as he'd died, as he'd watched the life slowly leave the eyes he'd come to love, as he'd listened to the heart that once beat for him stop. He'd been nineteen when he'd lost his entire world.

It had only been six years of his life but he'd never forgotten Levi, never stopped loving Levi, never stopped longing for him. Now he was given a second chance, now he got his Levi back he refused to ever let him go.

The bell rung out loudly in the classroom, snapping Eren out of his thoughts and bringing him back to reality. With speeds he wasn't even aware he was capable of he packed up his belongings, rushing out the classroom before his friends even had a chance to speak to him. He had far more important places to be anyway.

…

"Oh, hello Eren." Raquel smiled as Eren let himself in using the spare key she'd given him last night.

"Hi Raquel." He replied, looking around for the familiar mop of black hair. "Where's Levi?"

"Ah, about that." She started, nibbling her lip.

"What about it?" He asked nervously, she couldn't have changed her mind, he'd refuse to leave, he needed Levi and he wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way.

"He's got a friend over today, and his mother is fine with him staying if you're looking after them. But if you don't want him to I completely understand." She said in a rush.

"No, that's fine." He agreed, relieved he wasn't about to lose Levi a second time around.

"Great, they're in the garden." She explained, heading outside with an unspoken invitation for Eren to follow.

He walked outside to see Levi playing with a blonde boy, he was quite a bit bigger that Levi both in height and width but they appeared to be the same age. As they ran around they were both oblivious to the two adults who'd joined them, far too wrapped up in their game.

For a moment the blonde glanced Eren's way, offering a small smile before he was knocked over by Levi, the pair tumbling into the grass in a chorus of laughter. But Eren was too shocked to even notice their antics, his mind whirling as he'd met those familiar blue eyes. His features were softer, his hair messier, his smile brighter but he still recognised him in a heartbeat.

"Erwin." Eren whispered, loud enough for the woman next to him to hear.

"Yeah, how do you know him?" Raquel asked in confusion.

"Oh, Levi mentioned him last night I just assumed." He bluffed, his blood beginning to boil.

Erwin had never approved of Eren, always believed Levi deserved better than a scrappy little titan shifter. He'd always walked around with his air of superiority, looking down on Eren, acting as if everything he did was wrong, find pathetic reasons to nit-pick his very existence. He made it no secret that he blamed Eren entirely for Levi's death and continued to punish him for it, as if watching the man he loved die wasn't enough of a punishment.

"I need a horse." Levi said, looking around the garden as if one were going to materialise.

"I can be your horse." Erwin offered, bending down onto all fours.

With a little giggle Levi climbed onto his friend's back, laughing harder as Erwin trotted around the garden, making noises with his tongue for the hooves.

Eren had no doubt that the reason Erwin had hated him so much was that he too was hopelessly in love with Levi, he had that effect on people. Effortlessly making them love him without even giving them a second glance. Erwin probably believed they would be together once their war was over but then Eren had turned up and stole Levi right from under him.

"Levi!" Raquel shouted, freezing the boys in their tracks.

The small boy looked over to the door and smiled widely when he noticed who was stood with his mother, he quickly scrambled off Erwin's back to rush over to him. Eren felt his heart swell as Levi excitedly ran to him, an action Eren had often done when Levi returned from expeditions.

"Eren." He smiled, wrapping his arms around his waist and looking up at the older boy. "Are you here to play with me again?"

"Eren's going to be here a lot to play with you." Raquel laughed slightly at her son's enthusiasm.

"Hello." Erwin said, shyly looking at his feet, having followed his friend over to the adults.

Eren felt powerful in that moment, the great Commander Erwin scared of him, nervous around a little old soldier.

"Erwin, come meet my friend Eren." Levi said, detaching himself from around Eren. He reached out for his friend's wrist and harshly pulled him to his side.

"Hi Erwin." He smirked, feeling ever so intimidating.

"He's my best friend." Levi explained.

"Really?" Eren asked, Levi eagerly nodding.

"And we're going to be best friends forever, aren't we?" Erwin said, joining in. Levi nodded once again before running back into the game, casting a glance over his shoulder to encourage Erwin to join him.

Eren smiled slightly, how similar Erwin was to his former self, still needing constant reassurance that Levi was his, that he still cared about him. But Eren would let him get away with it now, he was far too young to realise how important Levi and Eren's bond was, so important that nobody would ever break it.

…

Eren watched the two boys on the floor with a clenched fist, he knew it was foolish to feel jealous over the friendship of two ten year old boys but yet here he was, feeling irrationally envious as the children huddled under a blanket to watch some mindless cartoon on the TV.

As much as he had wanted to trust Levi, he'd always been jealous of their friendship and, if he was admitting it to himself, a little suspicious. Their constant private meetings, late nights alone in each other's chambers, secrets that they never shared with anyone.

But this time he could be sure, they were young, they were innocent. They were just friends and nothing more.

"What do you boys want for dinner?" Eren asked, glancing at the clock to confirm it was nearing time for them to eat.

"Fish fingers and chips!" Erwin cried, having warmed up to Eren quite quickly, effectively losing all his shyness.

"With carrot and peas!" Levi finished, the pair laughing slightly at their request.

"But yesterday you told me you didn't like peas." Eren said, remembering a very distinct fight between the pair when he'd tried to put some greens on his plate.

"I know but today I want them." He pouted, looking up at Eren with wide, pleading eyes that he just couldn't refuse.

"Alright, fish fingers, chips, carrots and peas coming up." He relented, leaving the living room in favour of the kitchen, excited whispers and giggles following him out.

…

Eren watched the two boys in front of him in slight shock and intrigue, true to his word Levi did not like peas and it appeared that Erwin was not fond of carrots. So, each vegetable was painstakingly swapped, right down to the last pea that had snuck under Levi's chips, until they both had what they desired. Eren found the whole exercise completely pointless but the wide grins of their faces showed they were enjoying themselves.

Next time he wouldn't mix them together and instead give them both separate piles to save this whole palaver, Eren was halfway through his dinner before either one of them had even begun.

"Why did you ask for peas and carrots if you only wanted one?" He asked them both.

"Because then we wouldn't be able to share." Erwin said, as if it were completely obvious.

"Best friends share." Levi nodded.

"Do you have a best friend Eren?" The blonde asked, his eyes shining with interest.

Eren find himself smiling at the pair's childlike wonder, hanging on the edge of their seats for his answer, to see if best friends still existed when you were older or did you simply grow out the notion.

"Yeah. I have two in fact." He laughed.

"You can't have two." Levi scrunched his face up in disgust, reminding Eren of his perfected scowl. "Best means better than everyone, only one person can be better than everything."

"That's true." Eren nodded. "But sometimes you love two people so much you can't chose."

"What are they like?" Erwin asked, Levi pretending he wasn't listening but Eren knew better than that.

"Mikasa is very strong and very protective of me, but she is my older sisters so I guess that's understandable. She puts on a very tough appearance but she's very caring underneath it, she just doesn't like people knowing. Much like someone else I know." He shot a grin at Levi who stubbornly looked in the opposite direction after being caught listening. "And Armin is very smart but very selfless, he always puts others before himself but sometimes that's alright."

"They sound very nice Eren. Maybe one day you can bring them here and we can all play together. It would be fun if we could all do that. But my older brother doesn't like to play with us so they don't have to if you don't think they'd want to." Erwin rambled, as if he were trying to make up for his friends lack of conversation.

"I'm sure they'd love to meet you both." He smiled. "Now hurry up and eat, your mum wants you home by seven."

"Oh right." He said, digging into his dinner, Levi reluctantly doing the same.

…

Eren looked up at the stars as he and Levi walked home, he'd always found space fascinating. The same stars, the same moon, that had shone down on them the first time around were still there. How much they would have seen. The world destroyed over and over but always able to rebuild itself, come back striving and move forward from near extinction.

Eren's heart fluttered as he felt a nervous small hand slip into his grip, softly interlinking their fingers and holding tightly.

And just like that he was that reckless boy ready to fight titans all over again, slyly holding his Corporal's hand under the cover of their cloaks. It was seen as unprofessional to take romances outside the walls but before a battle reassurance was sometimes needed, a reminder you had someone worth coming back for.

"It's sad we didn't get to play together much today." Levi said, never meeting Eren's eyes after his slightly awkward confession.

"Yeah, but we always have tomorrow." Eren replied. "And your stories before bed."

"I can tell you all about Erwin tonight." He smiled excitedly.

"Erwin?" He asked, stomach dropping. Of course he'd remember Erwin, he would always be significant to Levi, always have a past that would outweigh any passing romance the pair would have.

"Uh huh, he's there and he grows to be so big Eren! Even bigger than you!" He gushed, rising onto his tiptoes and stretching his hand up to the sky just to portray how tall his friend would be.

"And what about you Levi? Are you tall?" He questioned with a gentle smile, already knowing the answer and how much of a sore point it was.

"No. I'm not." He pouted. "But mummy always says that good things come in small boxes, like me."

"Yeah, just like you Levi." He smiled, unconsciously giving the boys hand a squeeze.

…

Eren glanced at the time on his phone in confusion, Levi had been in the shower for almost an hour now and he was beginning to worry. What exactly could he doing in there?

Hesitantly he made his way up the stairs, freezing outside the bathroom door. He probably shouldn't go in there, not with their past, not with how intimately Eren knew the body that was bathing in there. But it was in his job description to protect Levi, he was under his care this time around and he needed to make sure he was safe.

With a soft knock he pushed the door open, relieved to see that Levi hadn't knocked himself unconscious by slipping on bar of soap and was lying under the shower spray. Instead, the boy was sitting happy in a bath of bubbly water with a variety of light up ducks floating around him.

"Hello Eren." Levi said calmly, turning the shampoo bottle upside down in his hands and watching as the water rushed out.

"What are you doing?" Eren asked, as Levi refilled the bottle.

"Taking a bath before bed." He explained, giggling slightly at the bubbles that rose from his bottle.

"No, you were going to have a shower." He scolded slightly. "Because you wanted to play on the Wii before bed."

"I changed my mind." He shrugged, Eren almost growling at the infuriating child.

He was clearly used to getting his own way, doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted without having to worry about the consequences. Eren would be lying to himself if he hadn't found his stubborn streak thrilling in the past but now that it was aimed at him he was finding slightly annoying.

"Well you're going to have to get out now." Eren told him.

"But I don't want to." He whined, a sign that he was getting tired and needed to be put to bed. "I want to play with you."

"Tomorrow, now it's time for bed." He said, grabbing a towel off the radiator.

"Fine." He sighed, standing tall and climbing out the bath.

Eren knew he shouldn't look, he was just a child, his body wasn't something to be ogled at, to be lusted at. But he couldn't help himself, his eyes freely trailed up and down his soft skin, his body was so pure now, so unscarred, no evidence of a previous tough life.

Levi took a step forward until he was pressed against the towel, and inadvertently Eren's own body. Moving on auto-pilot Eren wrapped the towel around Levi's small, shivering frame, inhaling deeply as he held the boy in his arms.

Levi made no attempts at moving, clearly waiting for the other boy to dry his skin off for him so he could get ready for bed. Eren knew he shouldn't but god how much he wanted to touch this boy stood in front of him.

Eren felt completely dirty as he gently caressed the young boy's skin, finding all the old markings of his corporal. The birthmark just below his hip bone, the freckles he got on the bridge of his nose due to his fair completion, his dimples on his pert buttocks.

He was broken out of his admiring by a loud yawn, small hands coming up to hid the action from Eren but it was pointless, the noise was enough.

"You're tired." Eren stated, ruffling the boy's hair until it stood up on all ends.

He forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down after all the glimpses of skin had filled his mind of a hot, naked Levi writhing underneath him while Eren mercilessly pounded him into the mattress below.

"No I'm not." Levi denied, rubbing at his watering eyes.

"Go get ready for bed." He told him.

"But I'm not tired." He protested, walking towards his bedroom anyway, unabashedly naked.

Well, Levi had always been overly comfortable in his own skin, Eren didn't doubt that if the uniform wasn't a regulation he would have been more than happy in just a pair of shorts. He often wondered how many people had seen Levi completely exposed, it was common knowledge that once he retired after dinner his clothes would soon be gone. A lot of trainees, and some of the higher ups, would take advantage of that situation and come to his room for "important business" just for a glimpse of him. Although he liked to believe very few succeeded beyond Eren himself.

"Eren!" An annoyed voice called from the other bedroom, obviously bored of waiting.

"Coming." Eren replied, quickly throwing the towel onto the rack and rushing into his bedroom.

…

Eren looked down at the sleeping boy in his arms, his whole face completely relaxed as his mind was filled with dreams of titans, of wars, of people that he no longer knew. Levi had fallen asleep mid story and once again Eren found it hard to leave.

He just wanted to hold him tightly and fall asleep himself, to dream of a world where they were free, a world without any obstacles, a world where their love could exist.

But he knew one day he would have everything he'd ever wanted, Levi would be his physically, mentally and emotionally.

It would be frowned upon, an ex-babysitter dating his once client, and to top that they both believed in a fantasy past where their lives had originally crossed. But the words wouldn't bother them, they never had done, all that mattered to them was each other.

Slowly, Eren began to detach himself, sliding his arm out from underneath Levi's warm body before softly placing his head on the pillow. When he was out the bed he grabbed the rabbit off the floor and slipped into Levi's arms, ending the whimpers that had begun once he'd lost Eren's warmth.

Eren smiled as he listened to his gentle breathing, his chest slowly moving up and down with each puff, plump lips parted slightly to allow the air in and out of his body.

Without thinking, Eren leant forward, pressing his lips against Levi's soft ones in a kiss he'd been waiting for almost all his life. As they touched he felt sparks flare up through his whole body, his stomach tighten as he nerve endings burst with love.

"Goodnight Levi." He whispered through tingling lips before slipping out the room with a racing heart.

…

_I feel like that chapter jumped around a little bit :/ sorry about that!_


End file.
